And the Braves Win!

How exhilarating?? I'm sure you are thinking that I am talking about the Atlanta Braves who pulled off a 2-1 win against Cincinnati, but think again. Dig a little deeper. Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Many kids and adults enjoy the holiday because they have the day off and go to the lake, vacation, and cook out. I, too, have taken this holiday for granted as well. As a child, I always enjoyed the days that my parents were off of work because we would do something fun whether that meant my dad cooking out or going to the park or visiting family. Now, Memorial Day has a whole new meaning. First, let me ask you something: What does Memorial Day mean to you? I hope after reading this, you learn a new meaning of this precious holiday that too many Americans look at lightly. As I am a preachers daughter, I have picked up some of his traits. I will use one now. First Point- FREEDOM. According to dictionary.com, freedom (n.) is the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. Take note that freedom is a noun which is a person, place, or thing. It is not a verb nor an adjective. Freedom does not describe a person. Freedom is not what a person can do. Freedom is someTHING that a person can have. As Americans, this simple word is taken out of context and used differently. While I have no problem with that at all, I believe it's more powerful meaning is the one it is intended to be. A noun. Just think for a minute. Freedom is something that any American citizen has. That is so powerful that I am even having problems grasping the concept. I have freedom! As the definition says, those who have freedom are in a state of being free. No one can tell them they have to be a certain religion. No one chooses their jobs for them. No one tells them if they go to college. No one tells them where to live. I, as well as the millions of other American citizens, am blessed to have the freedom to wake up everyday and choose what I am going to do instead of being forced by the government. Second Point- FIGHT. I was reading a short article about the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. I had never really thought about it before and I guess that is what grabbed my attention when I saw the article because I honestly had no idea what the difference was between the two. The answer is fairly easy. All that really has to be done is to look at the titles. Memorial Day is a day in which we are suppose to honor those who have served in the Military in some way and have passed away. This could be in any branch of the Military. Many people think that it is just meant for those who died while serving, but it is also a day to remember those who survived but have died fighting their own battles off the battlefield. This particularly relates to myself as I am talking about my Dad's brother, my Uncle. While he was alive, I wasn't very close to him. To be honest, I was kind of scared of him because I knew he was a member of the Army and was tall and had a deep voice, and that was somewhat intimidating to a child. Nonetheless, he was family and we all loved each other. My Aunt and Uncle never went to church and had not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during this time. I was in second grade and my Uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was during Christmas time and my Uncle was doing his chemo treatments. As children in my school, we all wrote Santa a letter telling him what we wanted for Christmas and the newspaper would publish them so Santa could see it. That year I really don't remember what all I asked for. I probably asked for some toys that I was wanting and possibly something for my sister who had just turned one 2 months earlier. But one thing I do remember was that the last thing that I wrote was that I wished my Uncle would get better. I never really thought about it being "cute" or "precious" because I was 8 and didn't want my Uncle to die from this bad disease that had been killing many people from what I had learned at that age. My Aunt and Uncle read it in the newspaper and I don't know if it was a seed that planted or just something "cute," but we were visiting with them for a Christmas supper because my Uncle was feeling good, but still wasn't 100% as he was still doing the chemo treatments. When we were about to leave, I heard my Aunt talking to my parents about it and my Uncle gave me a hug and cried. You see, my Uncle had fought for the freedom that we have by serving in the Army. During this time, no one could fight for him as he was fighting for his life. He had smoked his entire life and it finally caught up to him. Sometimes I feel as thought God was helping out Santa that year and my Uncle was cancer-free by the following Christmas. Other times, I feel as though my Uncle started to get to know God and once he accepted Christ into his live along with my Aunt, God healed his body to show him that he really wasn't fighting the battle alone anymore because God was now with him. I'll never forget the Sunday my Aunt and Uncle were baptized. My Grandmother cried and it was one of the few times I had seen my daddy cry. The Lord was good to my Aunt and Uncle for the next few years, and then God decided to call my Uncle home in his second fight with lung cancer. The first round, I know both my Aunt and Uncle were scared, but there was a peace the second time and I knew that my Uncle was not scared of dying anymore because he would get to meet the Man who saved not only his life, but his soul. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who died on the battlefield, but it is a day to remember the loved ones and friends we have that are no longer here as they have fought their own battles, that I hope that they had God with them. Final Point- FAITH. This is one of the hardest concepts to talk about and to grasp, but Faith makes up everything. As a person, we must have faith in ourselves to get up and do things. As Americans, we must have faith in the elected officials that we have and that they will make the best choices for the citizens. As Christians, we must have the faith to step outside our comfort zones and follow God's will, not our own. As it takes the people in the Military to have Faith every day to work long hours in fighting for freedom for people that they do not know, we as American citizens should have Faith in Christ to know that His Will is all we need. This Memorial Day I hope that we pay tribute to those who are no longer with us, but have made so many sacrifices so that we may have FREEDOM. I pray for those who have recently lost loved ones in our most recent battles in Iraq and the Middle East. I hope that we all have the Faith to trust in God and support those who are doing some much for us that they do not know. God Bless all of the troops, the TRUE Braves that are winning!